Special verbs with "hen"

Using 很 (hěn) to intensify verbs that express thoughts or feeling is really easy.

Structure

Subj. + 很 + [Certain Verbs] + [General Verbs / Nouns]

Certain "psychological verbs" related to feelings or emotional sates can be modified with 很 (hěn) to increase their intensity. This is similar to using "really" or "very much" in English. Remember that this only applies to psychological verbs, such as:

• 想 (xiǎng) to think; to want; to miss
• 喜欢 (xǐhuan) to like
• 小心 (xiǎoxīn) to be careful
• 怕 (pà) to fear; to be afraid of
• 了解 (liǎojiě) to know a lot about
• 讨厌 (tǎoyàn) to hate
• 担心 (dānxīn) to worry about
• 希望 (xīwàng) to hope

Examples

• 我 很 想 你。Wǒ hěn xiǎng nǐ. I really miss you.
• 他 很 喜欢 你。Tā hěn xǐhuan nǐ. He really likes you.
• 你应该很 小心 。Nǐ yīnggāi hěn xiǎoxīn. You should be very careful.
• 我 很 怕 晚上 一 个 人 在家。Wǒ hěn pà wǎnshang yī gè rén zài jiā. I fear staying home alone at night.
• 你 应该 很 了解 自己 的 孩子。Nǐ yīnggāi hěn liǎojiě zìjǐ de háizi. You should know a lot about your child.
• 老外 很 讨厌 中国 的 公共厕所。Lǎowài hěn tǎoyàn Zhōngguó de gōnggòng cèsuǒ. Foreigners really hate public toilets in China.
• 你 两天 没 回家，妈妈 很 担心 你。Nǐ liǎngtiān méi huíjiā, māma hěn dānxīn nǐ. You haven't gone home in two days. Mom is really worried about you.
• 父母 都 很 希望 我 能 上 一 个 好 大学。Fùmǔ dōu hěn xīwàng wǒ néng shàng yī gè hǎo dàxué. Both of my parents really hope that I can go to a good college.

Chinglish connection

Did you ever notice that some Chinese people with less-than-perfect English will use the phrase "very like"? Now you know why!

See also

• Expressing "excessively" with tai
• The "zui" superlative
• Positive adjectives with "-ji le"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 143) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (p. 166) →buy